DIGITAL EDITION

Fall 2022

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, such is the way of the world.

Few things in life go exactly as planned. We’ve all missed a connection and lost a day of vacation or forgotten to take something out of the freezer in time for that night’s dinner. While these examples can feel like “the worst” as you’re struggling to find another flight or digging through the fridge looking for something to stop your stomach from growling, they aren’t really life-changing events.

I’ve spent the summer trying to put things into perspective, and my recent experience shadowing locals chefs and organizers leading up to Terrain Table did more to help that than any self-help book or podcast ever could—though, if you are looking to go that route, check out Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross and his recent interview with Hidden Brain.

You can read more about Terrain Table and go behind the scenes later in the issue, but for those unfamiliar and unwilling to flip another 40 pages, the event is a fundraiser for Terrain, the local arts non-profit, held at the farm of Celeste Shaw and Dan Coulston. A 300-foot-long table is set up in their alfalfa field to welcome 300 guests who are treated to dinner from a collection of local chefs.

Editor’s note: I live in Spokane, have an affinity for art and food along with personal mission to contribute to this community I now call home, so don’t be expecting unbiased, fly-on-the-wall coverage.

When I attended the dinner last year, our group was seated at the end of the table to give us better access to the chefs in the kitchen. While those seated in the middle of the table, surrounded by all the other guests dressed in white might be better positioned to immerse themselves in the magic of the evening, what they likely missed seeing was the level of preparation, organization and passion that go into executing an event like that and making it look effortless.

I was treated to similar experiences this summer with other local events, Among the Ashes Idaho and Crave! Northwest, where I tried my best to be an observer and enjoy myself, but by the time the evening of Terrain Table rolled around, I couldn’t help but get in on the action and lend a hand.

What I saw at From the Ashes and Crave! were teams of organizers and chefs tossing egos to the side in order to share something they are passionate about with a larger community. That, and they never stopped moving.

So maybe it was because I had been in the kitchen at Chaps with Krista, Jason, Nick, Joe, Mike, Nicholas and others throughout the week as well as down on the farm watching Celeste and Dan get ready to welcome guests, but by the time Wednesday afternoon rolled around and I saw smoke billowing up from 195 south of Downtown as I made one last trip to deliver 300 personalized cookies that Jamie from Three Birdies Bakery had made for the guests that evening, I was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. And I couldn’t stop moving.

By the time I made it out there, the fire marshal had already said the situation was too dangerous for the event to go on as planned that evening. Celeste, Dan and others who had been on-site making last minute preparations were situated at the base of the hill leading from their house to the field where the table was set up and ready, watching smoke rise in the distance and planes flying overhead to deliver water as quickly as possible. They were filled with disappointment over the uncertainty of the dinner, but Celeste’s primary concern was for the safety of one of her Chaps employees whose home she knew was in the vicinity of the fire. Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

Fortunately, the dinner was able to proceed the following evening and no major property damage was done on the farm or elsewhere. Again I was awestruck by knowing first-hand all of the time and effort that had gone into making the event happen, so that when I saw Celeste, dressed in white, in dirt, constantly moving to help expedite the courses and hand plates over to the volunteer servers, I took off the observer and dinner-guest hat and asked how I could help.

I’ve said it a million times since launching this magazine, but this is the greatest job in the world. The food and drink are a nice perk, but getting to meet people who are using their gifts and promoting their passions to make this community a better place is what makes me want to keep going. Through a pandemic, hard economic times and all the unknowns that we’ve had to navigate over the past few years, I’ve been hoping for the best, and having a network I can count on to not only help me, but any member or organization in our community that is in need has me prepared for anything.

Thank you for supporting our locally-owned and operated publication, thank you for supporting our local food community, and thank you Celeste, Jackie, Jacob, et al. for helping me put things into perspective.

Cheers,

Jeffrey Fijolek
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

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